


Validation

by ShellyFanFic



Series: SEAL Team Week 2021 [2]
Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Dementia, Memories, Memory Loss, Reminiscing, SEAL Team (TV) Week 2021, Validation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28837854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShellyFanFic/pseuds/ShellyFanFic
Summary: SEAL Team Week 2021 fic for Monday - prompt: Memory Loss
Series: SEAL Team Week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112318
Comments: 10
Kudos: 27





	Validation

“Hey Daddy, it’s me, Emma. Happy Birthday.” Emma leant down and kissed him on the cheek before taking a seat at the table next to him.

“Oh, thank you. Emma… Emma, that’s a beautiful name. I have a daughter called Emma. She’s a bit younger than you, a real pretty little girl.”

“I bet she’s a stunner.” Emma said with a smile.

“She sure is. She’ll be back from school with her Mom soon. That’s where she gets her looks from.” 

Emma smiled wistfully and took his hand. He continued, “You know you look a bit like my Emma. You look a bit like my wife, too. Are you related to them?”

“Yes, Daddy. I’m related to them. Listen, they’ll be back soon but let’s enjoy our visit while it’s just us, shall we?”

“Yeah... yeah, that sounds like a plan. What’s that you have in the bag?”

“Observant as ever. It’s for you. I bought you a beer and there’s some chocolates for us to share. And this is for you, for your birthday.” She passed him the brightly wrapped package and the card and waited while he read the tag. 

“From Emma and Clay. My Emma?”

“Daddy, this is from me and my husband. You don’t need to worry about the details right now, okay? Just open your gift and we can enjoy it together.” 

Emma cracked opened the beer and unwrapped the chocolates while Jason opened the package carefully. He took a moment to study his gift. “This is a photo book.”

“That’s right. Shall we take a look?”

“Okay.”

Jason began to turn the pages of the book, looking carefully at each photograph. He looked at baby pictures and correctly identified Emma, Mikey, Jameelah and RJ. He looked at pictures of anniversaries, of holidays and trips taken, photos of his early days on the teams, on deployment, at cook outs and various events and celebrations. 

He spoke to Emma about the pictures, telling her what had been happening in each one, who was with him and what the occasion was. He spoke of the birthdays and Christmases he had missed and of the missions that had kept him from them. 

As they moved nearer to the present Jason began to stumble over his words a little. The faces became unfamiliar and the names and occasions eluded him. The events Emma had documented so beautifully with her choice of images became more vague, if he even recalled them at all. Emma gently took the lead, talking about the people in the pictures and sharing her memories of those times and Jason listened intently.

Jason turned the page again to find a full-page photograph of himself, he was dancing with Emma on her wedding day. She wore a simple white gown that had been her mothers and she looked radiant.   
“This is you getting married, right?”

“Yes, that’s the day I married Clay. You danced with me at the reception.”

“Looks like it was a special day; the man looks very proud.”

“Yeah, Daddy. It was special. He was proud… so was I. Proud to call him my Dad.”

“And who is this?” Jason was pointing to the next page, which held a portrait of Clay and Emma with two stunning little blond-haired boys. 

“That’s me and Clay, and our boys Quinn and Harrison. They are your grandsons.”

He frowned for just a second before he continued. “Wow. They sure are beautiful. I see a likeness, I think. Huh, they look a bit like my daughter, too.”

“They do, don’t they? There’s one more picture to go, Daddy.” 

Jason turned the page to reveal a print of a sonogram. His brow creased as he tried to interpret the image. “Is this what I think it is?”

Emma smiled. “Depends what you think it is.”

“This is a scan… of a baby, I think. Never could read these things for shit. That’s why I always needed to keep the medic around. What was his name again?”

“Trent, his name is Trent. Your skills must have improved over time because you’re right, Daddy. It is a baby, it’s from my last sonogram. This is a picture of Phoebe Alana Spenser. Cooking as we speak. She will be with us in about four more months. You’re going to be a grandad again.”

Emma reached out for Jason’s hand and placed it on her swollen belly. Can you feel her moving? She’s very active. A little firecracker already.”

Jason’s face lit up. “My daughter was just the same, kept her Mom up at all hours. Mind she’s still a livewire now. I love her so much, you know?”

“I know, Daddy. She loves you, too.”


End file.
